Scraper for removing paraffin from oil well pipes



C. W. EARL Jan. 22, 1952 SCRAPER FOR REMOVING PARAFFIN FROM OIL WELLPIPES Filed Dec. 6, 1949 INVENTOR C'. WErZ A'ITORNEY ::1.1-1likutfimmPatented Jan. 22, 1952 y UNITED STATES .PATENT OFFICE SCRAPER FORREMOVING PARFFIN FROM OIL WELE PIPES Charles W. Earl, Seminole, Tex,

Application December 6, 1949, Serial No. 131.488

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to tools for maintaining pipes in oil wells,through which the oil fiows from the well, in good working condition. Ahard Sticky mass forms and accumulates inside the pipe of an oil well sothat oil is prevented from fiowing freely through the pipe. z

Heretofore this hard Sticky mass was removed from such pipes by asteaming process, which entails the removal of the ciogged up pipe fromthe well and then treating it with hot solutions. which melt and washout the parafiin collected inside the pipe.

The primary object oi the invention is to provide a tool adapted toremove the accumulated hard Sticky mass from an oil well pipe withouthaving to pull said pipe out of the well.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tool of the characterindicated above eomprising a sucker rod adapted to be reciprocatedaxially in the pipe and a plurality of scraping knives removably Securedabout the sucker rod and tting the inside contour of the pipe.

A further object of ,the invention is to provide a tool of the characterindicated above, each scraping knife of which is mounted or formed on abracket which in turn is Secured on a means for clamping the bracketonto the sucker rod.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a tool of thecharacter indicated above, the scraping knives of which are disposed onand in spiral arrangement about the sucker rod and equidistantly spacedfrom each other, so that they engage the entire interior surface of thepipe when the tool is reciprocated in the pipe.

The invention consists in the details of construction and in thecombination and arrangement of the several parts of my improved scrapperfor removing paraffin from oil well pipes whereby certain advantages areattained, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order that my invention may be better understood, I will now proceedto describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawing,wherein:

Figure 1 is a front view in elevation of the tool in accordance with theinvention shown located in an oil well pipe.

Figure 2 is a View in section taken on the line 2--2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a side view in elevation of the lower portion of the tool asshown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a view in section taken on the line 4--4 of Figura 1.

.The tool in accordance with the invention for removing accumulatedsediment from the inside surface of an oil well pipe n, or the like,comprises a rod ll, commonly called a sucker rod. The diameter of thisrod l l may vary in accordance with the size of the pipe iii in thewell.

A split pipe !2 encases the sucker rod i i and is provided with nea'lyradially extending clamping lugs !3 disposed adjacent to the edges ofthe longitudinal slot !4, and to the two ends of said pipe. A bolt l5extends through each pair of oppositely arranged clamping lugs l3 and anut Hi on each bolt, when tightened, urges the clamping lugs toward eachother thereby securing the pipe l2 removably on the sucker rod.

A plurality of semi-circular brackets IT are secured on the split pipe!2 in any suitable manner. The semi-circular brackets !1 are disposed onthe split pipe !2 so that the ends of each bracket abut the pipe and arelocated vertically above each other, when the split pipe |2 is inworking position inside the well pipe ID. The brackets l'! are furtherarranged in pairs, that means so that two brackets are locateddiametrically opposite to each other and at the same level with other onthe split pipe !2. The several pairs of brackets l'l are spacedequidistantly from each other at different levels and extend radiallyfrom the split pipe I2 so that adjacent pairs of brackets form equalangles with each other.

On the outermost portion of each bracket I'l a scraping knife |8 isformed or secured in any suitable manner and each scraping knife s hastwo blades 19 the outer surfaces of which form a continuous arc fittingagainst the inner surface 20 of the well pipe ID. The upper and lowerouter edges 2! and 22 respectively of the blades |9 are the scrapingedges and when the sucker rod I l of an assembled tool in accordancewith the invention is reciprocated upwardly and downwardly in the wellpipe n, the scraping edges 2! and 22 engage the mass accumulated on thewell pipe and scrape it oi. In order to push the removed broken portionsof the mass sideways the blades |9 are tapering outwardly as shown bestin Figures 1 and 3 so that the upper scraping edges ZI as well as thelower scraping edges 22 of each knife s form an obtuse angle with eachother.

The broken and scraped off pieces of sediment are removed from the wellpipe n either by the pressure of the gas or oil fiowing through saidpipe or by a fluid forced under pressure through the pipe and forcingsaid sediment pieces upwardly out of the pipe o.

I claim:

1. A tool of the class described including a sucker rod adapted to bereciprocated in a well pipe, a split pipe fltting loosely on the rod, apair of oppositely disposed clamping lugs on and extending diametricallyfrom the split pipe in the same direction, a bolt extending through thelugs and adapted to clamp the split pipe securely but removably onto therod, a plu'ality of pairs of brackets Secured on the split pipe atdifferent equidistantly spaced levels, the brackets of each pairextending diametrically opposite to each other from the split pipe andthe brackets of adjacent bracketpairs frmng equal angles With eachother, and a scr'ap'ing knife Secured to each bracket.

2. A tool of the class described including a sucker rod adapted to bereciprocated in a well e pipe, a split pipe fitting loosely on the rod,a pair' of oppositely disposed clamping lugs on and extendingdiametrically from the split pipe in the same direction, a boltextending through the lugsand adapted to clamp the split pipe securelybut removably onto the rod, a plurality of pairs of brackets secured onthe split pipe at different equidistantly space'd levels, the bracketsof each pair extending diametrically opposite to each other from thesplit pipe and the brackets of adjacent bracket pairsforming equalangles with each other, and a scraping knife secured to each bracket,each scr'aping knife having a continuous outer surface extending to bothsides of the bracket and fitting against the inner surface of the wellpipe. I

3. A tool of the class described including a sucker rod adapted to' bereciprocated in a Well pipe, a split pipe fitting lo'osely on the rod, apair of oppositely disposed clamping lugs on and extending diametricallyfrom the split pipe in the same direction, a bolt extending through thelugs and adapted to clamp the splt pipe securely but removably onto therod, a plurality of pairs of hrackets secured on the split pipe atdifferent equidistantly spaced levels, the brackets of each pairextending diametrically opposite to each other from the split pipe andthe brackets of adjacent bracket pairs forming equal angles with eachother, and a scraping knife Secured to each bracket, each scraping knifehaving a continuous outer surface extending to both sides of the bracketand fitting against the inne' surface of the Well pipe, the upper andlower edges of the outer surface of each scraping knife form'ng ascraping edge and the upper scraping edges as Well as the lower onesforming an obtuse angle so that the outer surface of each knife taperslaterally.

CHARLES W. EARL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date '712,488 Black Nov. 4, 19021,755,762 Armstrong et al. Apr. 22, 1930 2,201,680 I-Iaynes May 21, 19402,228,648 Welles Jan. 14, 1941 2,290,429 Hartman et al. July 21, 194223166239 Holcombe Apr. 5, 1949 2,521,076 McDuflie Sept. 5, 1950

